Ed note: This is part two of a three-part article on this subject. The first part
appeared on June 14. Part two in the series addresses the process of
evaluating how BIM could be implemented at the center, and examines
whether many BIM functions are perhaps already in place via the
existing GIS.

Why is MSFC Researching BIM?
The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a very large complex located
on the Redstone Army Arsenal (over 40,000 acres) in Huntsville,
Alabama. According to the 2010 Real Property Book, Marshall has 273
facilities onsite, totaling around 4.8 million square feet of property.
These facilities include workshops, office buildings, trailers,
laboratories, test stands and other structures that are spread across
1,873 acres under an irrevocable 99 year usage loan from the Department
of the Army. The total capitalized value of these structures equals
$485,142,235 while the current replacement value of these is
$1,599,425,383. One interesting fact about Marshall is that it was the
very first NASA field center, meaning that many of the buildings on
location have been used since the center was formed in 1960. Currently,
there are 185 buildings, facilities and structures that have been in
use for over 20 years.

With all this in mind, NASA is researching BIM to see if its
capabilities would be beneficial. With the time and money needed to
implement BIM, the question MSFC is asking is would it be worth the
investment costs to utilize BIM technologies on existing buildings as
well as new projects? Or is it more cost-effective to apply it to new
designs as they come along? In the next five years, between three and
five new buildings, at most, will be constructed. The main issue MSFC
is debating is not BIM's value as a great new technology, but rather is
the return on investment significant enough?

Beyond researching the opportunities that BIM can provide, NASA
headquarters has issued a draft directive to the field centers which
requires BIM to be implemented into their existing process. This can be
seen in the FY 2012 Capital Facilities Investment Program Data Call (Appendix III, pdf ).
An excerpt from the document reads: "All FY 2012 Discrete Facility
Projects will be required to utilize Building Information Modeling
(BIM) during the design and construction; therefore, please plan
accordingly for any software or other costs that you may need to
support the project." From this, a guideline titled "Building
Information Modeling (BIM) Guidelines and Standards for Architects,
Engineers, and Contractors" was created (Appendix IV, pdf ). The first draft of this standard was sent to all
NASA centers' Facilities Offices for review and modification.
Basically, the guideline requires that BIM methods be used on any new
project after October 1, 2010 with funding of $10 million or more.
NASA's goal, as stated in the document, is to have all projects using
BIM by at least 2012. Once these documents were handed down to MSFC
from headquarters, a team assembled to research all aspects of BIM to
see if full utilization would be worth the investment.

As the building industry grows, technologies are becoming more advanced
in an attempt to make these processes more smooth and effortless. In
today's economy, companies are required to make adjustments to new and
evolving technologies. MSFC's design and construction processes are
considered by many to be BIM, but not to the full extent. The processes
used and information that is obtained throughout the design and
construction follow hand-in-hand with BIM's definitions and standards.
As for the modeling, MSFC does not use the common 3D software (Bentley
Architecture, Revit, etc.) that most companies use to do BIM. The
processes at MSFC have been described as being 85% BIM, meaning MSFC is
not quite using all of BIM's capabilities, but it is doing enough to be
called a BIM user. All of the uses of BIM are being studied in an
effort to one day implement its full capabilities into the existing
building design and construction processes.

National Building Information Modeling Standard
BIM is no doubt on the rise. It has the potential to be the standard in
project planning, design and construction. It will not be long before
every piece of available information about a project will be accessible
electronically. Since BIM is a new form of technology, no
infrastructure or standards have been formed. Because of this, the buildingSMARTalliance
was created by a committee of engineers, designers and contractors
looking to have input on the design and construction industries. The
purpose of the alliance is to create interoperability for firms
utilizing building information models, as well as to assist in the
optimization of cost, sustainability and the environmental aspects of
project design and construction.

Figure 6. Maturity Model with MSFC's Score. (Click for larger view.)

Within the alliance is the National Building Information Modeling
Standard Project Committee, or NBIMS. Formed in 2005, the sole purpose
of the NBIMS committee is to create a standard and infrastructure to
foster and promote the advancements and innovations that are growing
with the industry. After standardizing the information for a facility,
not only does it organize the life-cycle information, but it also
provides a basis for prolonged existence of the information belonging
to the project. The committee is hopeful that the standard will be used
universally and will mature over time. As part of its BIM research,
MSFC is using the standard as framework for the implementation of
MSFC's BIM process.

One item from the NBIMS, the Capability Maturity Model, has been a
great help. This model is a way to measure the extent to which a
particular company or organization is utilizing BIM. It gives users a
way to understand just how complete their design method is, and if it
could, in fact, be called BIM. The model uses a point system to grade
an existing process based on 11 different elements that represent a BIM
process. There are Data Richness, Life-Cycle Views, Change Management,
Roles or Disciplines, Business Process, Timeliness/Response, Delivery
Method, Graphical Information, Spatial Capacity, Information Accuracy,
and Interoperability/IFC Support. The definitions of these can be found
in the category descriptions section of the model (Appendix V, pdf ).

The Maturity Model is very straightforward. You simply analyze each
element of your existing processes and compare each to the element
definitions to determine a score on a scale from 1 to 10. After you
have graded each area, the model yields a credit sum for your method
and relates it to the standard credit arranged by NBIMS. You are then
given a Maturity Level according to your credit, which determines
whether or not your process can be considered BIM. The different
maturity levels, shown here from lowest to highest, consist of Not
Certified, Minimum BIM, Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The
Marshall team has analyzed its project design and construction process
and placed its findings into the model (Appendix V, pdf ) finding that its methods score a 77. This is
considered a "Silver" rating.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Existing Design Process
To begin research into BIM, MSFC had to first look at its own processes
used in the facilities office. Before BIM software became available,
Marshall formed what it called Facilities Geographical Information
System, or FacGIS in 2002. By definition, a Geographical Information
System (GIS) captures, stores, manages, analyzes and presents
geographic data that are linked to different databases. NASA's FacGIS
integrates several aspects of Marshall's entire property.

Figure 7. FacGIS Capabilities.

Through the years, the Facilities Management Office at MSFC has created
and maintained several different databases, facility maps and CAD
drawings for the different tasks that are required of the department.
The problem with all of these records is that they do not work
together. They require specific personnel with the correct training in
order to be utilized. Prior to the FacGIS system, engineers, designers,
contractors and decision makers had to interface with each individual
who dealt with the needed system. For instance, in order to get
drawings of utilities or aerial photographs, you would have to visit
the Mapping Department, and then you would have to contact the
Environmental Office to obtain specific information pertaining to any
ecological data. Following that, you then had to turn to Asset
Management for work orders and equipment reports, then the Planning
Department, Space Management, and so on. With the FacGIS, the needed
maps, plans, reports, and any other datasets could be accessed from a
single computer.

The FacGIS is very versatile. Obviously, the objectives of the software
are to provide access to all segments of the facilities data. The
databases remain in place, while the FacGIS system pulls the data in
and makes them available to the user. The software has the ability to
retrieve information such as map layers, floor plans, roof and space
management, utilities, spread sheets, redlining, utility control
systems (UCS), environmental and even location services. For example,
you can find any building, along with any person who works in the
building and what room they occupy. Not only that, you can find what
equipment is located there, such as computers or printers, view any
work orders placed for that room, and even examine the utilities that
run through the floor and ceiling. The versatility of this program
allows engineers and project planners to generate any reports, plans or
maps, and everyone related to the project has the ability to view any
of the data and analyze them from their perspective.

MSFC currently uses Bentley MicroStation products for its Computer
Assisted Drafting. More specifically, MicroStation V8 is the software
of choice, and V8i will be implemented in the coming months. This
technology allows engineers, designers and contractors the ability to
design, model, visualize, document, map and sustain infrastructure
projects. The software has the capability to model in 3D, but it is not
BIM accredited software. Though this software may not be viewed as
"BIM," it is used by the Facilities Office in the exact same manner as
a BIM accredited model. Any relevant data that are collected will be
placed in the model and remain there for utilization throughout the
life of the project.

Figure 8. FacGIS System. (Click for larger view.)

How Does MSFC's Process Compare to NBIMS?
On the surface, MSFC's design and construction process, along with the
FacGIS, may not look like a BIM process, but as you look deeper you
will see that it is just as advanced and beneficial as any BIM method.
Since the FacGIS development in 2002, the Facilities Office has made
continual progress on design and construction documentation
methodologies to fit today's BIM technology. As stated earlier, BIM is
a technologically advanced process, something that the Facilities
Department feels it has. MSFC has used the NBIMS to educate itself on
the philosophies surrounding BIM. With the standard as a guideline,
MSFC has been able to evaluate the existing processes and relate them
to those in the standard. Like the NBIMS, MSFC follows the most
important section very closely: Information Exchange. Information is
the leading area in a design process. A firm must be very solid in this
element in order to be considered a BIM process, and this is the strong
point in MSFC's system. Any new information and data are entered into
the FacGIS system. This information can be utilized by almost everyone
who has a part in the project, such as the designers, contractors,
those in construction, operations and maintenance. This is where MSFC
gets most of its credit in the Maturity Model. Since BIM is said to be
all about the information, it is also seen by many to be centered
around the model, though this isn't always the case. Many companies are
very reliant on their models, in that every bit of information and data
are retrieved from the model. The model is created before the
construction takes place, and its interactive abilities allow users to
simply "click" within the model to get the needed data. This is where
MSFC's process differs from most BIM processes. A 3D model is not the
nucleus of the MSFC system. In fact, the FacGIS is where users go to
get their information. Even though it is not a 3D model, it still has
the same benefits. Since its databases are continually used and updated
daily, the intelligence of the FacGIS is always up-to-date. What
separates MSFC from other NASA centers is that the information in the
model is not only continually growing, but it is always available for
reference and use. Most companies retire their model once the project
is complete because they do not have the ability to maintain the model.
This may be due to the fact that they do not have the required training
or personnel to deal with the model, which inevitably leads to its
retirement. MSFC, on the other hand, is a leader among other NASA
centers in keeping its models in use, always maintaining them, and
adding data while always keeping them available for those who may need
to use them.

Figure 9. FacGIS Interface. (Click for larger view.)

With regard to the requirement handed down from headquarters, MSFC does
not need full BIM capabilities to keep productivity high. With close to
300 buildings onsite, Marshall's Facilities Engineering group deals
primarily with modifications to existing buildings. The only way that
full BIM technologies would be utilized would be if the existing
buildings were to be modeled. This would take a large amount of time
and money. Also, since a majority of these buildings are 40+ years old,
many of the utilities and electrical components have minimal
documentation, if any at all. Three-dimensional laser scanning
technology is the only possible way to have a correct model. This type
of process takes a highly skilled team and a great deal of time and
money. As for new buildings that will be constructed in the coming
years, total BIM methodologies would be a great addition. This would
increase the productivity quite a bit, and make the entire project more
effortless. The expense and effort required to fully implement BIM are
significant. This would not be a smart investment if it were only to be
used on new building design and construction, which makes up less than
5% of the facilities MSFC maintains.

Ed. Note: Part three of this article will be published next Monday,
and will address the process of evaluating how BIM could be implemented
at the center.